Autism council urges statewide needs assessment, seeks ABA coverage to age 26

Autism Spectrum Disorder Advisory Council co-chair Jamena Miller told the Rare Disease Advisory Council that her panel is pressing state leaders to fund a statewide autism needs assessment and to expand certain services for adolescents and young adults.

Miller, who serves as a co-chair of the autism advisory council and as a parent of a child with autism, said the council has been tracking bills including House Bill 7108 and HB 7109 and that a needs assessment would “identify unmet needs and gaps.” She said the assessment is estimated to cost $150,000 and would take a little over two years to complete if funded.

The assessment, Miller said, would collect data from Connecticut residents and caregivers and would be used “to inform policy and service delivery” and posted on the…